


Unspeakables

by Nakira Taisho (nakirataisho)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Slavery, Multi, Psychological Torture, Rape, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:45:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5295284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakirataisho/pseuds/Nakira%20Taisho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where slavery is all too common, teenaged anti-slavery advocate Sakura Haruno and her best friend Hinata Hyuuga struggle against friends, family, and enemies who would seek to crush their ideals.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Her Chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When given an ultimatum by her mother, anti-slavery advocate Sakura is forced to buy a slave.

There were three things that Sakura hated: slavery, money, and her mother. Unfortunately she depended on her mother for money and the money for her campaigns against slavery. It was a vicious cycle in her life. And now she was left with two options as she parked her car outside one of the many slave warehouses: Buy a slave and still have unlimited access to her family's vast deposits of money or leave the parking lot and be disowned (and thereby cut off from her campaign funds).

It was the lesser of two evils, she decided as she got out of the small red convertible. She stepped towards the entrance to the building, wondering absently why it had taken this long to come to this. Her parents had several slaves, besides the housekeeper, her mother and father kept a slave each for their personal satisfaction. They'd waited until now, when she was almost seventeen, to force her to get a slave.

Maybe it was the fact that she rarely contacted them that had kept this problem from arising for so long. She supposed it was a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'. She'd been staying in the dormitories at Konoha Academy since she'd started in the Middle School program at eleven years old, and her parents had spared no expense at getting her the best apartment in the building. With little to no contact with her family, she was free to start her campaign against slavery.

She couldn't help but swallow nervously as she arrived at the door. She'd never been inside a slave warehouse, the very thought made her nauseous. But, she reminded herself that it was a necessary evil at the moment if she wanted to continue making headway in her anti-slavery campaigns. Without the funds to support her campaign, she couldn't draw any influence.

"I don't live at home," she reminded herself aloud. "Mother doesn't really have to know that I'll treat them like a human being…"

She steeled herself and went inside. The woman behind the counter didn't acknowledge her presence for several minutes. Sakura glanced around the lobby and suppressed a grimace. The walls were a pastel pink, so pale it almost looked white, with abstract paintings scattered about. The desk was a lightly stained pine and the woman sitting there looked more like a librarian than a saleswoman.

The only sound in the room was the light tapping of the woman's nails on the computer and the soft ticking of a clock. If she listened carefully, Sakura could have sworn she could hear the sounds of slaves crying from behind the wall. On hearing that, a wave of nausea hit her and she covered her mouth, trying to hold it back. She had little success.

Seeing that the woman was still too preoccupied with whatever she was doing on the computer to notice her, Sakura rushed back outside and lost her stomach into the bushes lining the sidewalk. She steadied herself and went back inside. This time, the woman looked up almost immediately.

"Welcome," she greeted, picking up the phone. "I have a customer up front," she spoke into the receiver before replacing it in the cradle. "Do you have any preferences, dear?"

"Um…," Sakura hesitated, thinking on it. She hadn't realized that would be a question they'd ask. "I suppose one my age…about sixteen or seventeen…," she trailed off, deep in thought. While she wasn't comfortable with the idea of _owning_ someone, she knew how people would react to her getting a girl. And while she _was_ into girls, she wasn't _that_ into girls and her peers knew it. "Male…"

The secretary nodded and made a note. Another woman came into the room through a set of double doors, pushing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses up her nose. In silence, the secretary handed the newcomer the note and a thin black remote. Sakura swallowed a little, not sure how she'd dodge dealing with the remote.

"This way," the other woman sighed, as if she didn't want to be there as much as Sakura wanted to turn tail and flee the building. Sakura nodded and followed her through the doors.

They passed through a hallway lined with windows looking into dank cages containing healthier looking slaves, clearly dressed up simply for display. A few of them further down the hall were strapped to grotesque sex machines, likely showing off their sexual limits. Sakura covered her mouth, swallowing a mouthful of bile. The woman led her into an elevator.

The woman silently handed her the remote and Sakura hesitantly took it, holding it between her fingers. She didn't know how sensitive the buttons might be or what would happen to anyone she accidentally aimed it at. "You act like you're afraid of the remote," the woman laughed.

"I don't know how sensitive the buttons are, I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt—"

"They're only slaves," the woman cut her off. "Is this your first time buying?"

"Yes…," she sighed. The elevator came to a stop and they got off, going down a row of cages. Sakura glanced into one to see a frail girl, probably the same age as her friend Hinata's younger sister Hanabi, being raped by a pale haired man wearing glasses. She looked away quickly, trying to keep what little composure she had.

"Feel free to browse," the woman said lightly as they came to a row of cages containing teenage boys. "If you need any help, just ask a nearby handler." Sakura nodded dumbly and the woman walked off.

She swallowed a little and looked into the cages. Many of the boys looked so starved and fragile that if they were to so much as move they'd fall apart. The sight made her more sad, than anything else. One near the end of the row caught her attention, mostly because he was the only one who didn't cower in fear as she walked by.

She looked him over, keeping her distance from the bars of his cage. He was thin, but not dangerously so, and she could see a vague outline of muscle definition from hard labour. Like the others, he was naked, as if the size of his genitals would make a difference. Though he was well endowed, it didn't make a difference to Sakura, as she wasn't looking for anything like that. She had friends with benefits to deal with sexual frustrations.

He had tousled black hair and his skin was pale, almost as if he hadn't been in the sun in years. She cleared her throat a little and he didn't move. She could see that he was breathing, so she figured he was probably sleeping.

"Are you asleep?" she asked tentatively. He jerked his head up, eyes wide. She sighed a little at the reaction. Of course, most anyone else would have aimed that remote at him and used it. "Were you expecting to get hurt because you didn't respond?"

He blinked his coal black eyes at her and nodded once. She glanced around for a moment then put the remote down on the ground before putting her hand into the cage. "Come here please," she requested softly.

He didn't move, staring blankly at her hand. "I'm not going to hurt you," she encouraged him. "I just want to get a better look at you." He glanced at the remote on the floor. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

He hesitantly moved closer to her and she brushed his hair back out of his face. In the better lighting, she could see that he was bruised and fairly dirty. She could see split ends in his hair. He recoiled from her touch, lifting his hands instinctively. She blinked at his ragged nails and cracked skin. She nodded a little and backed away from his cage. She picked up the remote and saw him shrink back into the corner.

He was the one, she decided, flagging down a worker. "I'd like this one cleaned up," she told the handler when he rushed over, pointing at the boy with her free hand. She tried to sound harsh and demanding, as if she was _okay_ with the situation. "And he'd better not be hurt," she continued as the man began to unlock the cage.

He paused and looked at her. She folded her arms and glowered at him threateningly. "If there's even one extra bruise on him, you won't get any money and I'll still take him," she growled in her most menacing tone. He swallowed a little and nodded before reaching into the cage to carefully pull the boy out by his elbow.

As the man pulled him down the hall, the boy glanced back at Sakura, a small smile on his face. She stalked back to the elevator, avoiding looking at any of the cages as she went. She continued to the lobby and saw that the secretary already had a set of papers waiting for her. Sakura placed the remote on the desk and started filling out the paperwork.

It wasn't long before someone came out with the boy in tow. He was fully clothed, but still wet from being hosed down. She sighed heavily and finished up with the paperwork before moving to look him over. They hadn't done anything about the state of his hair, and probably had just washed any dirt off of him. Gently, she touched his chin and lifted his face a bit.

He flinched visibly and she gave him a reassuring smile before pulling her hand back and turning to the desk. The secretary held out her hand and listed off a price. Sakura barely concealed a grimace and pulled her credit card out of her wallet. The woman ran the card and handed it back to her when a receipt printed out. She shoved the receipt and other paperwork into a bag along with a few other items.

Sakura took the bag and then the leash that was offered to her from the other worker. She sighed and gave the leash a gentle tug before heading to her car. The boy trailed behind her silently. When the doors closed behind them, she let out a sigh of relief. It was done. She could put this whole mess behind her and get back to work.

When they got to the car, Sakura opened the door and let go of the leash. The boy stared blankly at her as the length of leather fell in front of him. She sighed and gestured to the passenger seat of her red convertible. "Don't be shy," she told him. "Sit down and buckle in," she instructed as gently as she could. He paused a second, but got in the car and buckled in.

She closed the door when he was secure and got behind the wheel. "So…what's your name?" she asked as she put the bag and her purse in the back seat. He remained silent. She sighed heavily. "Can you speak?"

He nodded a little in response. She smiled a little and reached over. He flinched away from her. She continued her reach, grabbing the clasp of the leash and removing it from the ghastly collar around his neck. She shoved the leather thing into the bag from the warehouse before putting the roof down.

She started the engine and drove back to the school. "You don't have to be afraid of me, you know," she told him, her tone serious. "I know you've probably been through a lot, but that's over now."

She said nothing else the rest of the drive. At the school, she parked in her assigned spot and put the roof back up. She then reached back to grab her purse and the bag from the warehouse before getting out of the car. The boy hadn't budged, his eyes forward. She opened his door and smiled softly at him. "Come on," she said lightly. "We're here." He hesitantly got out of the car and she locked the car up.

Sakura led the boy up to the top floor of the girls' dormitory and to her apartment. She unlocked the door and went inside. The boy followed obediently. She closed the door behind him and removed the collar from around his neck. She hung the thing on a hook beside her jacket and put her purse on another hook beside that.

She took the bag from the warehouse and dumped it onto her bed. She sorted out what she'd need to show her mother as proof that she'd gone through with it. The rest of the bag's contents included an instruction booklet, a pair of shackles, a thick dildo, the leash, and a remote for the shock collar. Sakura eyed the dildo, and decided it was worth putting in her toy box.

She tossed the thing onto her pillow and removed the batteries from the remote. She put the batteries in the junk drawer in her kitchenette and then threw the remote, shackles, leash, and instruction booklet into the trash. She then dug out a little key from the junk drawer and moved to her closet. She reached onto the shelf and pulled down her toy box, a large metal box where she kept her small collection of sex toys and accessories.

She unlocked the box and dumped it out on the bed. She heard the boy gasp sharply and she looked at him. He was cowering in fear, cringing against the door. She sighed and dug around for an empty sleeve to put the new dildo in. "I'm only putting this thing in my box, I'm not about to rape you," she told him, putting the dildo in a fabric bag.

She then put her toys back into the box and slightly reorganized the collection before locking the box and putting it away, tossing the key back into her junk drawer. She looked at the boy and smiled softly at him. "I already said, you don't have to be afraid of me." Her words did nothing to encourage him.

She touched her forehead in exasperation. "Look…I only…bought you…because I didn't have a choice. I run a campaign _against_ slavery…," she tried explaining. He tilted his head in confusion at her, glancing at the collar and then looking at the trash bin.

"Then why…?" he whispered hoarsely. Sakura blinked and stared at him, surprised that he'd spoken. He cringed away from her gaze.

"I'm only sixteen, and running a campaign is expensive. So is this room. I can't get my funds cut off right now…and the only way to keep money in my bank account at the moment was to…buy a slave…," she explained, grimacing at the term.

The boy started to open his mouth, as if to say something else, but he held his tongue. "You know…if you're afraid to talk to me…," she started. "You don't have to be. I'm not going to hurt you for any reason…"

He shook his head a little, prompting her to let out a slightly annoyed huff. "Fine. You don't have to talk either. But could you at least tell me your name? Or something to call you…"

"S—" He cut himself off. "Kuro is what my last master called me…"

"Then I'll call you Kuro," she said lightly. "Now…" She looked around the messy apartment. "Why don't you get started on the dishes and help me get these clothes put in the laundry basket in the bathroom while I put together your bed?" He nodded and set to work as if the shock collar was still around his neck and the remote in her hand.

Sakura shook her head a little, pulling her trundle bed out of hiding. She put the mattress on the long window seat and made it suitable to sleep on. She turned to start putting her clothes in the laundry when she finished, but to her shock, Kuro was already finishing up. She blinked in surprise and looked at the dishes, already washed and set out to dry. Her jaw dropped. Kuro dropped a shirt in the basket and tensed as she stared at him.

"Okay…," she sighed. "You work fast. Come here, so I can look at you." He hurried over to her and she circled around him. One of the first things she noticed was that his clothes were clearly too small on him. Then of course, there was the issue of his hair and dried out hands. "Hm…you look about Neji's size…he'll probably have some extra clothes and shoes…," she mumbled.

She touched his hair and grimaced at the dirty, rough feel of it. "And then you need a haircut…and a manicure…" She looked at his feet. "And a pedicure…" She nodded to herself and went to fetch her cell phone. She sent a text to Neji, asking if he was in his room.

She then sat at her desk while waiting for a reply. "All right…the rules… _I_ don't have any rules for you. I'd appreciate if you helped me keep the room clean, your bed made, the dishes clean…laundry in the basket…etcetera. I usually go to bed around eleven and get up at six thirty…I eat breakfast here in my room and make my own lunch before classes. Classes start at eight thirty sharp and I make a point to be there fifteen minutes early."

He tilted his head in confusion as she spoke about classes, so she decided to explain. "At least for the first few days, we'll have to make a show that I've caved to my mother's demands and you'll have to attend class with me." Her phone went off and she checked it.

 _Yeah, but one of my shows is about to start, what's up?_ The text from Neji read. She sighed and tapped out a reply.

 _I'll explain in a minute. You got some clothes and shoes you don't wear anymore?_ She pressed send and turned her attention back to Kuro. "You can eat whatever you want from the fridge, I usually go grocery shopping twice a week, so that won't be a problem. You can keep your clothes in the linen closet in the bathroom, I'll show you where that is when we get back." She checked for Neji's reply.

_Yeah, why? You finally cave?_

_Unfortunately…we'll be over in a minute._ She replied to his text and went to the door, putting her keys in her pocket. "Your bed is there in the window seat…and this thing…" She grabbed the collar, beckoning him over. He obliged, swallowing nervously. "Unfortunately, you'll have to wear this outside of the room." She carefully put it loosely around his neck.

She then opened the door and went into the hall. "Once we get back from this errand, we'll have lunch. I'm sure you're hungry." On cue, his stomach growled loudly and he put his arms around himself to try to staunch the noise. "And then you'll shower properly." She started down the hall towards the divider between the boys' and girls' dorms.

As they approached the sliding door that acted as a barrier between the sections she was glad for once that the dormitories were all in the same building. The smell of sweat and cologne met them harshly as she opened the door and stepped into the Boys' side of the dorm. Once Kuro was through the door, she slid it closed to block the smell from entering the other side of the hall. She grimaced and headed down the hall to Neji's room.

She knocked lightly on the door and waited. Ten-Ten, Neji's own 'slave', answered the door, her long hair wrapped in a towel. Sakura smiled in greeting and the girl returned the expression. Sakura was one of the very few people that knew that Neji and Ten-Ten were simply putting on an act so they could stay together at all times. Like every Hyuuga slave, Ten-Ten had been freed from slavery on her seventeenth birthday and she was now engaged to Neji, waiting for him to graduate. The pair kept up the act so Ten-Ten could still be allowed to stay in the dorm with him.

"Hey, Sakura-dono," she greeted, stepping aside to let Sakura and Kuro in.

"Why'd you cave, Sakura?" Neji questioned, barely turning his attention away from the television.

"She gave me an ultimatum…and you know what would happen if my bank account was drained suddenly…," she told him with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I get that. He got a name?"

"Kuro," she replied. "Anyways, we won't interrupt your precious show…where do you keep the clothes you never wear?"

"Everything I actually wear is in the laundry or a drawer," he said, waving a hand towards the closet. As if that was a command, Ten-Ten opened the closet for them. Sakura nodded to Kuro and gently pushed him towards the closet. He took the prompt and pulled out about four full outfits and a pair of shoes.

"Thanks a bunch, Neji," Sakura said lightly. Neji glanced over to see what Kuro had picked out.

"No problem," he said with a shrug, turning his attention to his show. "If anything else comes my way that he might like, I'll send it to your room," he told her, waving dismissively.

"Thanks," Sakura laughed. "Enjoy your show." She opened the door and went back into the hall, closely followed by Kuro. Ten-Ten closed the door behind them and they headed back to Sakura's room.

When they were in the privacy of the room, Kuro hesitantly removed the collar himself and hung it on its hook. Sakura smiled at him and dropped her keys on the counter of the kitchenette. "So…what kind of food do you like? I've got stuff for salad, omelettes…," she trailed off, heading for the fridge.

"A-An omelette…sounds good…," he murmured, barely audible. She nodded a little and got in the fridge. It would take some getting used to, for both of them, she decided, but they could handle it. At least he was already willing to talk to her, even if it was just a little.

She set to work on making lunch, humming to herself. At least it was a Sunday when her mother had given her the ultimatum. Sakura wouldn't have been able to deal with the stress on a school day. When she finished cooking, Sakura fetched two plates and silverware, plating the food neatly and moving to her desk.

She sat down and offered the second plate to Kuro. He hesitantly took it and sat on the floor to eat. She almost stopped him, but since she didn't exactly have a dining table or extra chair, there weren't really any other options for him. It wasn't long before they were both finished eating and Sakura put the dishes in the sink before going to the bathroom.

She beckoned Kuro over silently. He joined her and she went to the tub.

"Sometimes the water temperature can be a little temperamental, but that's only if multiple people on the floor are showering," she told him, demonstrating the temperature dials. "You can test the water and shower in what's comfortable for you. And for now, you can use my soap and shampoo…Monday is grocery day, so we'll get some stuff for you when we go out."

She turned to open the linen closet. "Towels and wash clothes are in here…you can keep your clothes on the shelf too," she continued. She glanced at him and he nodded a little. "All right then. And also, make sure when you're done washing up to put some lotion on your hands and feet…" After seeing him acknowledge her last instruction, Sakura left the bathroom and went to clean up from lunch.

He was still in the shower when she finished cleaning up, so she went ahead and got into her pyjamas and turned on the TV, putting it on her favourite channel. A show started and she got comfortable on the floor, sprawled out on her stomach with a pillow under her arms. About halfway through the episode, the water turned off. By the time her show was over, Kuro stepped out of the bathroom, looking much cleaner.

She smiled approvingly and patted the space next to her as another show came on. He paused, but sat down on his knees beside her. She sighed a little and propped herself up, matching his position. He looked at her in confusion.

She gave a playful smile and trained her gaze on the TV. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him fidget a bit. Her feet were starting to fall asleep when he finally moved into a more comfortable sitting position. She gratefully matched his pose.

Fifteen minutes before the end of the episode, he shifted into a similar position to the one she'd been in before, laying on his stomach with his head on his hands. Smiling, Sakura matched the position, looking at him. He glanced at her and shot back into his original position on his knees. She groaned in defeat and dropped her head into the pillow.

The ending theme played after a few minutes and Sakura got up, turning the TV off. She went to her desk and got out the small amount of homework she had left for the weekend. A quick glance at her companion told her that he probably wasn't going to budge for a while, so she ignored his presence and set to work on her homework.

When she finished her homework and packed up her backpack, Sakura went to her bathroom and fetched some of her beauty supplies: haircutting shears, tweezers, manicure kit, vitamin E oil, a comb, and a bottle of enriched nail polish. She set up in the kitchenette and pulled her desk chair over.

"Kuro…come sit here please," she called to him when she finished setting up. He paused a moment, but did as instructed. "Now, hold still," she said softly, setting to work on cutting his hair properly.

When she finished with his hair, she took her tweezers and moved in front of him. "This is probably going to smart a bit, but you should have two eyebrows," she told him before setting to work on plucking his eyebrows.

She finished that quickly and set to work on his hands, rubbing the oil into his cuticles and trimming his rough nails. She buffed his nails gently and then covered them with the hardening nail polish. She did the same to his feet.

The entire time, Kuro simply stared at her. She wasn't sure if the look in his eyes was confusion, shock, or fear. When she finished working, she smiled softly at him and stepped away. "You should rinse off here in a few minutes, get that loose hair off of you," she told him as she moved to pack up her supplies. He continued to stare at her.

With a heavy sigh, Sakura checked his nails. "Surely that loose hair is itchy…go ahead and go rinse it off." He paused, but nodded and went back to the bathroom. Sakura shook her head a little and got a book before getting comfortable on her bed.


	2. His Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of school with his strange new mistress, Kuro is subjected to a bit of culture shock.

The next morning, Sakura woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bed. Though the nightmare she'd just had was already fading from her memory, it had been just as vivid and real as if it were real. She could still smell the heavy odour of sex and blood. She shook her head to try and clear the last vestiges of the vision.

That was when the smell of frying eggs and ham reached her. She looked at the kitchenette to see Kuro fixing breakfast. She glanced at the clock beside her bed. It was six thirty exactly. He must have gotten up early to fix breakfast for her. _That_ was a stress relief she could get used to, she admitted to herself.

But nice as it was, she still believed that he should be compensated for his efforts like any other person. Smiling, she got out of bed and looked around the room. Her desk chair was back at her desk and everything she'd left out the previous afternoon was back where it belonged. Her backpack was sitting by the door already and her uniform was freshly pressed and hanging on the bathroom door.

And then, she noticed the portions. Kuro was plating up breakfast, but one plate had barely half the food of the other. Frowning, Sakura took the smaller portion and ate it silently before going to the bathroom to get ready for class.

* * *

Kuro stared blankly at his mistress as she took the plate he'd fixed for himself and ate it. As strange as he felt she was the first day, this was even stranger. He'd fixed the smaller portion for himself, because that was what was expected. As she went to the bathroom to get ready, he resigned himself to his fate and ate the larger portion of breakfast. For the first time since he'd been a slave, he felt full, and he was grateful for it.

He immediately set about cleaning up from breakfast and making the bed. He wasn't sure how long her kindness would last, or if her claim at being against slavery would change after a while of owning him. He finished cleaning just as Sakura emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed in her uniform with her short strawberry blonde hair pulled back with a headband that matched her skirt.

He found himself staring at her, entranced by her beauty. He caught himself, he hoped, before she noticed, and trained his gaze on the floor. Standing still for a moment, he felt exhaustion wash over him, but he tried to hide it. He hadn't slept well since before his last owner had bought him several years before, and he hadn't dared attempt sleep the previous night.

He could feel Sakura smiling at him for a moment before he heard her step towards the door to the apartment. He quickly followed her and put the collar tightly around his neck. Sakura made a clucking sound and gently loosened it.

"You don't have to wear it so tightly," she said gently. "I'm glad you ate. And thank you for cleaning up the room," she continued, putting her shoes on. He paused but followed suit, picking her bag up with full intentions of carrying it for her.

She gently took the bag from him. He followed her out of the room in silence. A girl met them in the hallway, her long black hair hanging loose behind her and pale lavender eyes that matched the boy named Neji's glanced at him over her shoulder. He looked at the ground, watching his mistress' feet as they walked.

Another set of footsteps joined them and he glanced over to see a blond boy in bright clothes, surprisingly loose on him as Kuro noticed the collar loosely hanging from the boy's neck.

"Good morning, Hinata," Sakura greeted. "Naruto…," she continued, looking over her shoulder at the other slave. The boy nodded in greeting, but remained silent.

"Is that the slave your mother made you get?" Hinata asked Sakura, her tone conspiratorial. Sakura nodded once in reply. "He's a real dish," the girl laughed. Kuro flinched a bit. "But not as much of a dish as Naruto…," she continued.

"Honestly, Hinata…," Sakura sighed tiredly as they came to the elevator and stepped in. "Go back to being shy and quiet please, before you embarrass yourself." The other girl rolled her eyes and started talking about some event coming up. Before Kuro knew it, they were out of the dormitories and in a classroom.

Sakura and Hinata sat on a row together and Kuro and Naruto joined them, sitting on the floor. A blonde girl joined them, her long hair in a swaying ponytail. She seemed in a good mood, but the slave that trailed behind her showed that whatever had caused her good mood had put him in a great deal of pain.

Kuro knew that look, the way the poor boy carried himself, and the way his collar was nearly tight enough to choke. He could almost see the bruises under the boy's shirt. He glanced over at Naruto to see the blond slave sigh tiredly and shake his head.

"Morning!" the girl greeted in a sing-song tone, sitting down.

"You're unusually perky this morning, Ino," Sakura greeted, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Did you actually get consent this time around?"

"What do you think I am? A slut?" the girl replied. "No, I don't have to go far for a mood boost." For emphasis, Ino reached back and yanked her slave's hair a little. "Unlike you."

"Having an active and healthy, consensual sex life doesn't make me a slut," Sakura defended herself.

"Maybe I'll come by tonight and we can break in your new slave together," Ino offered. Kuro flinched a little, sure that the offer would show that Sakura's resolve was fragile.

"Absolutely not! No one's touching him," Sakura snapped at the blonde, closing the subject. Her tone startled Kuro and he relaxed just a little.

* * *

By lunch, Sakura noticed something odd about Kuro. On the way to her usual table, she gently pulled him aside. She looked him over carefully. He was shaking minutely, as if he was forcing himself to be still. He'd tightened the collar around his neck quite a bit. His eyes fluttered a little, as if he were trying to stay awake.

"Did you sleep last night?" she questioned, thinking about how clean the room had been when she'd woken that morning. He shook his head a little. She frowned deeply and reached to loosen his collar.

It shouldn't have surprised her that he'd probably been too afraid of what she might have done if he hadn't kept busy. But she was surprised. What sort of torture had the poor boy been through before she met him to make him so afraid? "I will _never_ hurt you," she encouraged him, touching his cheek gently.

He flinched away from her touch and she sighed, deciding to get an alarm clock for him when they went shopping that evening. "Kuro, do you remember the way to the apartment?" she asked softly. He nodded in reply. "All right then. Why don't you go on back to the room and get some sleep? It's bad enough you have to wear this stupid collar…I can't deal with my classmates pressuring me to hurt you if you fall asleep during class…"

"Why…?" he whispered quietly.

"I told you yesterday, I hate slavery," she sighed. "Go get some sleep, okay?" He nodded and hurried back to the dorm. Sakura shook her head a little and went to sit with Ino and Hinata. Ino scoffed.

"Where'd you send your new slave off to?" the blonde asked coyly. "Don't turn into a hypocrite by sending him off to get ready for a sex session…"

"I wouldn't do that," Sakura insisted. "It would be consent under duress and I'm not a rapist."

"Oh, come on, Sakura!" Ino groaned. "He's hot, and knowing your collection of toys, he's probably well endowed. Leave the toys for a while and use the real thing. It's not like slaves are good for anything else."

"He's a person, same as you and me," Sakura growled.

"No," Ino snapped. "He's a _slave_. A possession meant to be an outlet for your every whim and desire. You just want him for cleaning, fine, but don't lie to yourself and say you wouldn't fuck him in a heartbeat if you got horny."

Sakura glared at her childhood friend and stormed away from the table.

* * *

Kuro hesitantly climbed onto the bed in the window when he arrived back at Sakura's apartment. His mind wandered as he settled between the sheets. His eyes rested on the closet and he immediately thought of the box of sex toys his mistress had pulled out the day before. As kind as she was to him now, it was only a matter of time before she tired of it and used those things on him.

He fell asleep, wondering if he was wrong. But his sleep was restless, plagued by nightmares of his two previous owners, both of whom had nearly killed him before he'd miraculously ended up in that warehouse. He woke from the nightmares at least twice, but exhaustion finally overwhelmed him completely and he fell into a deep sleep.

The door opened softly and he jerked awake, an excuse caught in his throat. He looked over to see that it was, in fact, Sakura who was coming into the room. She flinched a little on seeing his reaction to her entrance.

"Sorry…," she murmured, putting her book bag down beside the door. "I didn't mean to wake you." Shocked, Kuro looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was already four thirty. "Do you feel up to going grocery shopping?" she questioned.

Unsure how she'd react to him declining, he nodded. She quirked an eyebrow and approached him. He flinched back, trying to look less tired than he was. "No…I don't think you are," she decided, bustling around the room. Kuro stared blankly at her.

"I-I'm fine," he stammered, getting out of his bed. Sakura shook her head a little.

"No, you still look exhausted," she said lightly, grabbing her purse. "I'll be back in a while. If you're hungry, go ahead and get something, but get some sleep." She left the room.

With a heavy sigh, he settled back into the bed. To his dismay, he fell asleep again and didn't wake until Sakura had returned. She wasn't alone, however, as she came into the room with the groceries. A girl, likely from another part of the dormitory, was with her.

He blinked in surprise, but tried to seem as if he were still asleep.

* * *

Sakura let Kaia, one of her friends from another part of the dorm, into the room. The girl went straight to it, trying to distract her from putting away the groceries as she put her arms around Sakura's waist and feathered a kiss on her neck. Sakura laughed softly and stepped away from her.

"Wait just a moment, Kaia…," she told her friend. "Let me put the groceries away first."

"But Sakura-chan…," Kaia pouted, pursing her lips. Sakura gave her a look and then went about putting the groceries away. "Hey, Sakura…when'd you get a slave?"

"Yesterday…," she sighed in reply.

"Can we—"

"No," she said firmly, cutting the girl off. "He's not a sex slave."

"Oh come on…that's one thing slaves are for, right?"

"If that's what I'd bought him for, I wouldn't have invited you up," Sakura said simply as she finished putting things away. When she finished, she pulled out the key to her lockbox. "Unless the mood's ruined?"

"Sakura, you're a walking mood," Kaia laughed, walking over to her. Sakura smirked and kissed her friend deeply. The other girl moaned softly and put her arms around Sakura's waist. Sakura pulled her close, twining her fingers in the girl's hair.

"Let me get my toy box," Sakura murmured, breaking away from the girl. She went to the closet and retrieved her box, unlocking it and pulling out a couple of dildos in different sizes, along with her strap on. She turned back to Kaia, stripping out of her clothes.

Kaia was doing the same, stripping and walking slowly towards Sakura. The strawberry blonde reached into her toy box for the bottle of lube and put the box aside. Kaia reached for the bottle, kissing Sakura the moment she was close enough. Sakura held the lube away from her, deepening the kiss with a grin.

Sakura wasn't _all the way_ into it, but she never really got completely into it with friends like Kaia. Kaia made another grab for the lube, clearly wanting to top this time around. Sakura continued holding the bottle away. Only a few friends were lucky enough to top with her, usually the _male_ friends.

Shaking her head a little, Sakura put the bottle down and spun around, pushing Kaia onto the bed. The girl grunted in surprise and looked up at Sakura, her eyes dark. Without a word, Sakura kissed her deeply, letting her hands wander down Kaia's body. The girl trembled under her as Sakura's fingers danced nimbly along her skin, occasionally scratching softly with her nails.

Kaia's arms went around Sakura's torso and she smiled almost mischievously. Sakura had invited Kaia over because she knew that the girl was particularly easy to arouse. It was wrong of her, since she also knew it was a form of manipulation taking advantage of a friend's libido. But if Kaia changed her mind, Sakura would have stopped.

Her fingers wrapped around Kaia's small breasts, her thumbs pressed into the girl's inverted nipples, coaxing them out. As Kaia squirmed under her, Sakura started trailing kisses down the girl's body. She soon took the girl's nipple in her mouth and bit down lightly, trailing a hand to the girl's crotch. As she'd expected, it was already wet and sticky to the touch.

"Sakura…," Kaia moaned. Sakura backed off and opened the bottle of lube. She started to pour the strawberry scented fluid into her hand, but nothing came out of the bottle but the artificial strawberry smell. "What's wrong?" Kaia sat up.

"I guess I ran out of lube…," Sakura sighed. "One second." She went to the kitchenette and retrieved a bottle of sesame oil. "I always have a backup plan."

"Great…well, it's better than nothing, right?" Kaia murmured. Sakura gave a cheeky grin and rubbed the oil on one of the dildos.

"You still good to go?" she questioned, leaning in front of her friend. Kaia nodded and Sakura pushed her back onto the bed. Sakura nodded a little and pushed the dildo into Kaia's folds, ignoring the small squelching noise made. She turned on the vibrator and grinned at the noises Kaia made.

As Kaia squirmed and writhed in pleasure, Sakura got on her knees between Kaia's legs and started pumping the vibrator. The smell was heady and she made a mental note to apologize to Kuro later for the noise. After a moment of pumping, Sakura pressed her fingers to Kairi's ass.

The girl made a noise somewhere between a moan and a whimper. Sakura took that as a prompt and moved the dildo into the girl's ass. Not giving her partner a moment to rest, Sakura moved, climbing on top of Kaia.

* * *

Kuro was shocked, simply because of the fact that _he_ wasn't the one his mistress was having sex with. He watched as Sakura and the other girl made love, wishing that even once he'd been treated so well in that area. He tried to go back to sleep and ignore the scene on the bed. But, he found himself unable to manage the feat.

In fact, he found himself almost _fantasizing_ what it would be like to be in the other girl's position, attention carefully given to every potential pleasure. He hadn't even known there was more to the act than insertion and pain. And the idea of lubrication was foreign to him. The fact that Sakura had been _out_ of lube was more than shocking.

As quietly as he could manage, Kuro crawled out of his bed and slipped into the bathroom. Listening, he could tell that he hadn't disturbed the girls. He was embarrassed to admit it, but for the first time in his life, he was honestly aroused. If he'd stayed where he was, the act in full view, he might have found himself nursing an erection. As it was, he was trying to ignore it. He almost began masturbating, but vivid memories of being punished for doing just that while under the influence of an aphrodisiac made him pause.

 _Sakura-sama wouldn't do that to me_ , he thought, despite himself. _She promised…_

Another part of his mind argued that he was a slave, and the moment Sakura got tired of being nice, she could go back on her words. But then, he remembered how Sakura had, not once but twice, refused invitations to have a partner in raping him.

And seeing the way she treated her lover on the bed, Kuro could see truth behind her claim of caring about consent. As foreign as the idea was to him, he liked the thought of for once being in a place where all that was expected of him would be to cook and clean. He enjoyed not having to wear the shock collar in the privacy of the apartment. He _liked_ the idea of being more than just a breathing sex toy.

For the first time since he'd been sold into slavery, Kuro almost felt _happy_ with his lot. And despite the sounds of sex in the main room of the apartment, he fell asleep on the bathroom floor with a small smile on his face.

* * *

The next morning at six thirty on the nose, Sakura crawled out of bed, feeling refreshed. She glanced over to the window and saw that Kuro wasn't in bed. She paused, not smelling breakfast as she had the previous morning. She looked into the kitchen, but he wasn't there either. She shrugged it off and went to the bathroom to get ready for school.

She saw him then, sleeping peacefully on the floor. Sometime while she was having sex, he must have went into the privacy of the bathroom to get some peace. Smiling, she bent to wake him carefully. He jolted and cringed away from her.

"I-I'm sorry…," he stammered.

"For what?" she questioned, straightening up.

"I-I overslept…," he murmured, standing up.

"It's fine," she laughed. "I should apologize to you. Kaia and I woke you up, didn't we?" She glanced at him as she moved to the sink to brush her teeth. He looked completely dumbfounded.

"I-I…It's…okay…but…"

"But…?" she prompted, rinsing her toothbrush with hot water.

"Why did you…," he trailed off, swallowing nervously.

"Why did I get a friend to help calm my libido rather than rape you?" she finished for him, plucking her toothpaste from the shelf. "Consent under duress isn't proper consent," she recited. "If I'd brought it up, you'd have consented simply because you're my 'slave', not because _you_ wanted to have sex with me. So, even then, if I'd had sex with you rather than invited Kaia up, it would have been rape. And I'm not that kind of person."

"But…I'm a slave…just…," he started.

"You're a person, just like me," she corrected. "And when you turn seventeen, the law will say the same."

"What do you mean…?" he asked almost inaudibly.

"When you're seventeen, you qualify for citizenship," she said simply. She began brushing her teeth, barely glancing at him to see his look of confusion morph into some semblance of hope. "Why don' you go 'head and make bre'fas'?" she mumbled around her toothbrush.

Kuro nodded and hurried to the kitchen.

* * *

The days passed rather smoothly after that, and before he knew it, Kuro was actually comfortable in Sakura's care. Over the course of that first week, she invited at least two other friends into the room and Kuro had quickly taken refuge in the bathroom so as not to disturb them. She hadn't been kidding when she'd said that she had an active sex life, and he was somehow both grateful and chagrined at the fact that she wasn't using him to deal with her libido.

His second Monday with Sakura, he went shopping with her. He was surprised when they met Hinata and Naruto in the hallway. He barely registered the conversation as they headed for the elevator and then past the parking lot. He cast a confused look to the other slave, not comfortable asking for an explanation.

"We're going to Ichiraku," Naruto said lightly. "It's close enough that we all just walk."

"Okay then…," he murmured. Sure enough, they stopped at a ramen stand barely a block away from the school. As they entered the stand, Kuro thought he saw a bit of makeup covering something on Naruto's cheek, but he figured it was just Hinata trying to cover up evidence of some blow.

The two girls sat at one end of the stand and Naruto sat at the other, giving the pair some space. Kuro hesitated, unsure if he was expected to sit with Sakura or Naruto. Naruto patted an empty seat and Kuro took the prompting.

"They won't talk if you're sitting with them," the blond explained softly. After a long moment of silence, bowls were placed in front of the two slaves and Kuro stared blankly at them. "Eat up," Naruto encouraged. "Sakura-chan doesn't keep much in her apartment that's not obscenely healthy."

Kuro blinked in surprise and watched as Naruto grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started eating the ramen. After a moment, his own stomach growled and he followed suit. "So…what's your name?"

"Kuro…," he answered quietly.

"Is that your real name?" Naruto pressed. He paused, but nodded a little. "You can tell me…I won't tell Hinata-sama or Sakura-chan…"

"If they made you tell them, you would," he argued.

"They wouldn't," Naruto insisted, his grin wide enough to make him almost believe the statement.

"Why not?" he asked quietly.

"Because Sakura-chan probably knows that you don't want anyone to know your real name," the blond replied, finishing off his bowl. "She'll wait until you're ready to tell her your name."

"Is…Hinata-sama nice to you?" he asked instead of arguing the statement. He had a feeling it was true, since she hadn't pressed for his real name. Naruto nodded fervently, lifting a hand to order another bowl of ramen.

"Yep," he said, enthusiastic. "Her dad bought me for her as a birthday present when we were three…she's always treated me like as a friend instead of a slave."

"So you've…only had one owner your whole life?" he asked, surprised. The blond nodded once.

"Neji-sama's really nice too," he continued. "Ten-ten isn't really his slave anymore. He bought her citizenship papers and freed her on her seventeenth birthday…she's still staying with him because they're getting married once he graduates." Naruto glanced across the stand at the two girls. "Hinata-sama's been talking about doing that for me…"

 _When you're seventeen, you qualify for citizenship_ , Sakura's words echoed in his mind and he dared to hope that in July, he'd be free. He slowly ate his bowl of ramen, watching Naruto practically inhale another eight bowls. He found himself staring at his mistress as he contemplated his situation.

She was kind to him, and she claimed so fervently to hate slavery…she'd essentially promised to free him when he qualified. She seemed to spend more time with Hinata and Neji, her friends that seemed to share her ideals, than the abusive and loud Ino. He blinked as Sakura threw her head back, laughing at something Hinata had said. Quickly, he looked away from her, hoping she hadn't noticed him staring.

"You like her, don't you?" Naruto asked, his tone conspiratorial.

"W-What?" he squeaked in reply.

"You like Sakura-chan, don't you?" Naruto reworded his question.

"No," he answered immediately, shoving the small bit of hope down. He couldn't allow himself to start liking her, or feeling hopeful that she'd set him free eventually. The moment she got angry with him over something, all of his hopes would be crushed under her small feet.

"Kuro," Sakura called to him, paying their tab. "It's getting late. We need to hurry to the store before it gets dark." He immediately stood and hurried after her as she headed to the store. Their first stop after she got a shopping basket was the pharmacy.

He watched as she put various first aid items in the basket. On the way through the pharmacy, she plucked a bottle of lube from a shelf and dropped it with her other selections. When they reached the aisle of vitamins and supplements, she turned to face him, appraising him silently. She nodded to herself and started grabbing bottles, all of them emblazoned with things like 'promotes hair health' or 'immune strength'. The selections confused him, but he knew it wasn't his place to question her.

They moved on to the hair products, where she started examining the hair products for men. Finally, she settled on a bottle of shampoo and found the matching conditioner. They moved on to the body washes and she proceeded in the same manner, sniffing experimentally at each male oriented bottle. When she found one she deemed satisfactory, she moved to the deodorant. Kuro followed her as she bustled along the aisles, staring at the scents she'd selected.

They were a stark contrast to the fruit scented products in the bathroom, mostly lemongrass and patchouli. Clearly she'd made the selections for him to use. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was glad at the prospect of no longer smelling like a basket of fruits with her insistence on him showering daily. Finally, they reached the dental care section, where she selected a plain toothbrush. She paused and turned to him.

"Go ahead and pick the toothpaste you want," she told him. "And then tell me if you like the scents for everything else." Hesitantly, he went to the shelf. Without really thinking about it, he grabbed a tube of cinnamon flavoured toothpaste and put it in the basket with everything else. She watched him expectantly and he slowly picked up the bottle of shampoo. He opened it as she watched and smelled at it experimentally.

A wave of nostalgia struck him, and for a moment he remembered what it had been like before being a slave. His older brother had used this exact scent. Kuro stopped the line of thought and capped the shampoo before silently nodding his approval of the products, since that's what his mistress was waiting for.

"T-Thank you…," he said softly. She smiled a little and headed for the furniture section. He gasped sharply at the sudden change in direction and rushed to follow her.

"Pick one," she said when they stopped in front of a selection of alarm clocks. Her statement startled him and he stared blankly at her for a moment. "Nothing can wake me before six thirty, so it doesn't matter if you get anything obscenely loud."

It struck him with her statement that she expected him to pick an alarm clock for himself. He swallowed nervously as she waited patiently for him to decide. Finally, he grabbed a digital clock and put it in the basket. Sakura moved on to the grocery section and the shopping trip continued.

Occasionally, they'd stop in a section clearly devoid of healthy foods and Sakura would prompt him to get anything he'd like. Many of the things he picked were foods he barely remembered enjoying as a child, before he'd been stripped of the right to enjoy anything. By the time they made it to the checkout, the basket was a surprising balance of healthy and junk foods along with the non-food items they'd picked up on the way.


End file.
